More Than Friends
by Saphara
Summary: A Sophitz first kiss oneshot that takes place after the war. Perfect for those with a strong mental sweet tooth! Prepare for mental cavities! :3 All fluff, no agnst. Sweeter than Mallowmelt!


I wrote this from a story request on Tumblr! The ask asked for a Sofitz first kiss. :3 ENJOY THE FLUFF! :D

* * *

Like the sand in an hour glass slowly trickling down, Sophie began to wake up. Awareness came in tiny waves, levels of certain noises or realizations. First was the blinding light that filled the room. Second was the quiet sound of paper flipping a bit too fast for anyone to read. And as her eyes fluttered open, a large, sky blue room with a dark, almost black carpet came into view. Large bookshelves sat across the wall, leading to a small sitting area with plush white chairs and a sofa.

Wait…

Sophie sprung up in bed, the room spinning slightly as the blood rushed to her head. This wasn't her room. _Where was she?_ She tried to shove back the building panic in her chest, until she saw a familiar dark haired, tall figure sitting by the window. The panic spilled out, replaced by relief as she took a deep breath.

"Fitz."

His eyes shot up, the alienlike teal color causing her heart to jump. Would she ever get over that? No, probably not.

"Hey." He choked out, shutting his book a bit too quickly as he awkwardly jumped up.

As the realizations that she was in his room, no, worse, _sleeping in his bed_ , hit her half-awake brain, she practically threw herself onto the floor, hoping that her face didn't look as tomato red as it felt.

"Sorry! I, um, how did I get here?"

Fitz chuckled slightly at her nervousness, though he ran a hand through his hair a few times. "We were doing Cognate training, remember? Tieragan said we're close to being done, and you wanted to stay late and practice."

Sophie all but facepalmed before hiding her face behind her hand. "And I fell asleep." She tried to push away that fact that they had been practicing on the couch, and he must have carried her to his bed. Unsuccessful, the heat rose through her skin even more, like someone had covered it in kerosene and lit a match.

"Yep." He smiled back, though it seemed a bit forced… Was he… mad at her?

"I, umm, thank you Fitz! But… where did you sleep?" Her voice was quieter at the last part as she forced the words out of her mouth. They had guest rooms at least, but with the dark circles under his eyes…

"I wasn't tired." He shrugged, picking up a book from the massive piles scattered around the tall backed chair he had been sitting in.

"Fitz…" Sophie began.

"What?" He half snapped, an eyebrow raised. She flinched, clenching her jaw at his sudden outburst.

"Sorry," He muttered. "That didn't come out right. My brain is… tired. Look, we-we need to talk…"

"Did I do something wrong?" Sophie stared at his eyes, ignoring how they made her heart feel. She wanted to see his true reaction. For nearly a year he seemed to be growing more and more distant. There were certain parts of his brain he wouldn't let her see anymore, and a few times he accidentally threw her out of his mind. She tried to pretend like it didn't hurt her or make her worry. That was why she was trying to stay late, to practice more. It was stupid, and possibly selfish, but if he became tired enough, or if they just spent enough time doing Cognate training, maybe he would tell her what was going on? It was clear something was bothering him, even Della was worried, though he wouldn't tell her either. She wanted to trust that Fitz would come to her eventually, but the feeling of him slowly becoming farther away really scared her. It wasn't that he acted differently, or that they spent less time together. Actually, with Black Swan missions and Cognate training, they spent almost every waking hour together. But something was changing, and it terrified her. He didn't know, he would _never_ know, but she loved him, in a lot of ways. He was her best friend, her partner, _her Cognate_ , and the one who had brought her to the Lost Cities. But she also couldn't fight the feeling that she wanted… _more._ She used to think it was just a silly crush, but over the years it grew to the point that she couldn't imagine herself with anyone else. If only she wasn't so invested maybe she could slow her thoughts down and think of a rational solution…

"You didn't do anything wrong Sophie." He eventually said. "But… we need to talk." His eyes looked a bit dark as he ran a hand through his hair again, like a storm cloud was passing over them.

"Alright." She steadily said as he motioned to the sofa. Whatever he was going to say, she wasn't prepared.

 _But at least he's finally telling me._

He didn't say anything at first, just sat there, like he had a giant weight on his shoulders he couldn't shed. She found herself staring out the window. Della and the gnomes were putting up giant, ornate decorations and planting teal and purple flowers. Tomorrow would be the first time Biana left the Elite Towers in two years. Maybe that was why Fitz was upset? He hadn't gotten a chance to go due to the war. It was his childhood dream, but he gave it up for her, and for their world. Even though it had ended by the time Sophie had her chance, she had more important things to do. Most of them involving Fitz's and her work with the Black Swan as they helped the Lost Cities rebuild, hopefully this time for good.

"I… I made a big mistake." His voice split through her thoughts. She looked back at him, watching as he continuously ran a hand through his hair, which began to poke up in every direction like a bad Billy Joel impersonation.

"I hope you can forgive me Sophie, though, I understand if you need some time to, err, process it."

Sophie met his eyes, causing him to quickly look away. He didn't look back.

When a silence fell between the two, Sophie sighed, knowing she had to break it. She almost wanted to pretend like nothing had happened, but that wouldn't fix anything.

"I can't guarantee I won't be mad, because it must be something big to cause you to act like this, but you're my best friend. I'm sure we can find a way to work it out." She put her hand over his. It was supposed to be reassuring, but it only caused his to jump a foot in the air.

She took her hand back, trying to remind herself it probably had nothing to do with her, but without a word he grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. He gave her a reassuring squeeze, as if he could read her thoughts, then glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.

When their eyes met he didn't look away so quickly. And he didn't drop her hand.

Fitz sighed heavily, falling back on the sofa as he closed his eyes. "Last night, when we were practicing, and you began to fall asleep, your barriers fell apart. And… I accidentally saw your secret…"

"What secret?" Sophie choked as her face caught on fire. He couldn't mean _that_ secret… could he? She gulped in a breath, ignoring an itchy eyelash as she tried to assure herself she was just overthinking things again.

Fitz took a few seconds to answer, like he was bracing himself for the aftermath. But when he did, she could feel the room begin to spin. "That you're in love with me."

"Oh." was all she could say as his voice echoed over and over in her head. A million different thoughts spun around her brain like a vortex of chaos, and panic, and adrenaline, and thoughts about every possible way this would ruin her life.

He squeezed her hand again, causing her to look down and realize how white her fingers had turned around his. She dropped his hand.

"Sophie, it's ok. It doesn't have to change anything. I just- it isn't right that I hold back on telling you that I broke my promise. I know I said I wouldn't look into it, and I had every intention of not. I'm _so_ sorry Sophie."

The room felt like it was closing in on her. _Air_. She needed air.

"I um, back, I'll be back."

Before she knew what was happening her legs were racing under her as she ran through Everglen. She thought she heard Fitz call her name behind her, she was pretty sure Della asked her what was wrong, but everything was blurred and twirling. She wasn't ready for this. She couldn't handle him rejecting her. Not now, not ever. She was content to just stay by his side, to be an important part of his life. She didn't need more. He said it wouldn't change anything, but this changed _everything_. Every time she accidentally caught herself staring at him, or the way seeing him or just hearing his voice during their late night talks on their imparters made her smile, or the how she laughed at his stupid jokes or blushed when he teased her. Now he would know, he would always be wondering. She couldn't pretend she only thought of him as a friend. But, losing her best friend because of some stupid emotions, that was scarier than anything she had been through. She had only gotten through the war because he had been there every step of the way. She never had to turn around and wonder if he was there, because he always was.

She gasped for breath from the top of the Base Quest tree. It was a good place to hide, to think. She could see most everything from there. It always made her problems seem so small and insignificant in comparison. The forest below her had been there for thousands and thousands of years, and yet it still stood there through it all. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the rise and fall of her chest.

She began to count each one.

One, two, three,

A breeze rippled through the leaves. Even though it was Summer, it still sent a slight chill down her spine, and goosebumps formed where it grazed against her overheated skin.

Nine, ten, eleven

A few birds flew away in the distance, squawking noisily at whatever had intruded upon their territory.

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen,

She thought she heard someone's voice. But she knew it was just in her imagination.

Twenty, twenty-two, twenty three

"Sophie!" An out of breath, easily recognizable voice gasped behind her. "I said to wait! I-I wasn't finished! If you could just give me a chance to explain-"

The world began to spin again.

"Fitz, please, I-I just need a chance to-to think."

"But I have something, that if I need to tell you." He breathily said as he sat on the tree fort's floor to her side.

"I just need some time. I need, to figure things out…" She closed her eyes, trying to shove down the panic that was filling her heart.

"It's important." His voice had the kind of determination etched into it that it always did on missions. And she had never not listened to it, and it had saved their lives many times before.

"…Ok." She nodded, turning to face him, though she couldn't meet his eyes. He held out his hand, and when she took it his voice spoke in her brain.

 _"_ _Look at my mind."_

It had become second nature going from her brain to his. She didn't even have to think about switching. It just happened.

When she did, the one wall he always kept up, massive and hulking, towering about them, came crashing down. As the bricks fell onto the ground and shattered, a flood of memories and thoughts overwhelmed her, threatening to pull her away. Fitz held onto her tightly though, and as each memory passed, she quickly noticed a pattern.

 _They were all about her._

A million emotions flew through her with each of his memories, overwhelming her brain to the point that it made her feel nauseous. After about five minutes, it stopped as quickly as it came. It made her feel like she was on that carnival ride that spins so fast you can't fall, except it stopped suddenly, and they forgot to close the floor…

She yanked her consciousness out of his brain, forcing herself to stand up. But the extra breeze and air didn't help like she thought it would. She stumbled, the world around her whirling just as fast. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her up and holding her in place.

"Sorry. I wasn't quite sure how to control the flow of it. I've never done something like that. Maybe we can work on it together."

She looked up, his teal eyes brighter now, dancing like they had stars trapped beneath the surface. Her heart did a few cartwheels.

"I'm not even sure what I was supposed to be looking for." She nervously blushed. The wave had been too strong, so she had only gotten bits and pieces of each memory. She thought, maybe, he could feel the same way as her… But to get her hopes up after years of thinking she didn't have a chance, she had to know for sure.

Fitz blushed as he hugged her tighter, causing her face to catch fire even more.

"I love you too." He mumbled in her ear. "…for a long time….I just, when I got my match making scrolls a year ago, and you were on it… I guess I _finally_ let myself accept how in love with you I am… I didn't want to ruin _us_ though…You're my absolute best friend, and I don't think I could ever get over losing what we already have."

It felt like her chest exploded. Like the stars in his eyes had somehow escaped to her heart and caused a chain of super novas.

She met his eyes again, noticing the way his ears turned firetruck red before it seeping into his cheeks. His face was close enough she could feel the heat radiating from it.

For some reason she couldn't speak. Forming words took sanity, which at this moment she didn't possess. The few words she could form didn't express her emotions. The cluttered ball of light, and happiness, and love, and the dream of being able to be with her best friend, it was like explaining colors to a blind person.

"Fitz." She choked out.

"Yeah?" He quietly muttered back, not quite meeting her eyes.

And then she had an idea.

And it was perfect.

And it said _everything_.

Without any further thought she wrapped her free hand around his neck and leaned upwards, pressing her lips to his.

A startled grunt came out of his mouth as his eyes flashed open, but then he slammed them shut, deepened the kiss.

She wrapped her other arm around him as he pulled her closer.

It was better than Mallowmelt or Custardbursts or Mint Chocolate Ripplefluffs. She wanted it to last forever. But as giggles bubbled up within her chest, she had to pull away.

Her laughter echoed off the trees as he stared at her with one raised eyebrow, shock plastered across his eyes.

"What's so funny?" He pouted slightly, his face even redder than her own.

"I'm kissing _Fitzroy Avery Vacker_! _That's_ what's so funny!"

He leaned closer, leaving only a few inches between them as his warm breath tickled her face. Fitz gave his best almost smirk that always made her heart melt "You say that like you're not the girl who saved the Lost Cities, or fixed the Council, or has a million different abilities, or-"

"I thought you were going to kiss me again." She smiled, imagining that if she was in a cartoon the steam from her face would be coming out of her ears.

He froze, flashing his trademark movie star smile, but brighter. "Yeah, I was going to do that too."

He leaned closer, closing the gap between them.

Every second felt like a lifetime, and yet much too short. The world faded away.

And then a heavily accented girl's voice screamed, "FINALLY!" from a few feet away, forcing them apart again.

Biana stood in front of them, smiling almost as brightly as they were. Without another word she turned, climbed down the ladder, and sprinted towards the house.

"Wait!" Fitz yelled back, shooting a panicked look at Sophie.

"It doesn't matter." She smiled. "Plus, if Della found out we're together and kept it from her, she probably wont talk to you for a day or two."

"So, we're together now?" He smiled, a spark in his eyes telling her he about to start tease her.

Sophie's eyes grew. "I-umm-well I assumed-"

Fitz kissed her lightly before standing up. "I guess we'd better make our way back. I hope meeting my parent's isn't _too_ big of a step for my new girlfriend."

Her cheeks hurt from smiling. "Only if you're ok with the fact I'll be your mom's new favorite." She retorted.

He held out his hand and helped her up. "Are you willing to bet on it?"

His smile told her she should say no. "Sure, why not."

"Alright, the price is five Mallowmelt."

She laughed. "Deal."

As they walked towards the house, Biana's voice could be heard yelling, and Della's right behind it.


End file.
